Keep on Standing
by maniac4.0
Summary: A terribly beautiful story by Duckie. You're innocent! he would then tell himself. You're innocent and you're going to get out of here! And then he would rise back to the top and begin to sink again.


A/N: Hello readers! Obviously, you've found an HP fan fic that I, myself, have written! *blushes* Oh, I'm so excited! *bouncing up and down on chair, clapping hands* You found my fic! You found my fic! You found my fic! You found my -- *hits head on ceiling because she bounced too high* OUCH! *rubs head* Anyway, I was supposed to remind you thatwait a minutemy brain must have been jogged when I hit my head. DOESN'T ANYONE REMEMBER WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO TELL THESE LOVELY, GETTING-ANNOYED-AT-ME-FOR-TAKING-SO-LONG PEOPLE?! *someone runs up and whispers something in author's ear* OHHH! *remembers* Thanks! Okay, I was supposed to tell you all that I do not own Harry Potter in any way, and that he and the other characters used in this fan fiction belong to J.K. Rowling (if you're reading this by some incredible chance, JKR, YOU ROCK!). Oh and thanks to whomever posted this! Okay, now you can read it! ^.~  
  
Keep on Standing  
By Duckie  
  
  
Sirius Black was a young man, a young man whose life was falling apart before his eyes. In one swift, horrifying night he had lost his best friends at the hands of Lord Voldemort and another one a few days later to betrayal. But it wasn't the fact that he had lost them that saddened Sirius the most. It was the fact that he failed the Potters as a friend, and their son, Harry, as a godfather.  
  
His head was pressed against the cold wall of his Azkaban cell. He felt as though he was drowning in a pool of sad memories, and it was the fact that there was no one there to pull him out that seemed to sink him to the bottom faster. Everyone thought him a murdererLily and James were deadHe didn't know where Harry was nowThe Order of the Phoenix must have thought he was a traitor, the Death Eater pretending to be the good guyHow his mother must have been pleased when she read that he'd been sent to prison without a trial  
  
_You're innocent!_ he would then tell himself. _You're innocent and you're going to get out of here! And then he would rise back to the top and begin to sink again.  
_  
Rain was banging against the fortress wall, as though it had a mission to get through to the other side, even though it never would. But just as he realized that his thoughts were beginning to get clear and normal, suddenly he was sinking again, and this time it was like a bunch of Muggle movie clips flashing through his mind. Harry was lying on the ground, the rain hitting his face because he had nowhere else to goLily and James's bodies lying on top of a pile of rubleHarry flying away with Hagrid on his motorcycleHarry alone on the street corner again, cold, wet, and completely alone  
  
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
Sirius sat upright, the spot on his forehead feeling numb where it had been pressed up against the wall. Somewhere near the entrance to the fortress, he had heard a woman's shriek.  
  
"YOU'LL SEE! THE DARK LORD WILL REWARD HIS FAITHFUL SERVENTS MORE HANDSOMELY THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE! HE WILL NOT FORGET US! WE WILL NOT HIDE FROM HIM! WE WILL RETURN TO OUR MASTER-"  
  
He saw the woman pass in front of his cell. She was writhing and screaming, being held by a dementor on each arm, her long black hair in disarray. It was then he recognized her as his cousin, Bellatrix, who had not seen since he was nearly fifteen. Following her were two other men, also flanked by dementors, and a boy no older than his late teens, about to collapse, tears streaming down his face. He was screaming for his mother  
  
Sirius had to look away. He felt himself beginning to sink into the darkness of that pool of misery. He was going to drown this time - he was certain of it.  
  
_Fight it! _He told himself. _You HAVE to fight it! You're innocent, you're innocentConcentrate on something elseYou're innocent, you're innocentThe rainListen harder to the rainYou're innocent, you're innocent  
_  
He supposed he was just trying to concentrate better, because he found himself staring out the barred window so high above his head because of his position on the floor, watching the rain slamming against it with all it's might.  
  
_I feel sorry for the wall_, he thought thickly. _It has to get all wet every time the rain tries to knock it down, even though it never willNope, it'll just keep on standing, ignoring the ridiculous attempt at knocking it downMaybe it wishes it were somewhere else, and not full of all this sadnessBut even if it does, it just keeps on standing, waiting to see if the next day will be better  
_  
Then, and only then, did Sirius think of something to ease his worries about his godson. Harry was like James, Sirius was sure of it. He was already starting to look just like him, but it was more than looks alone. Harry was strong, and he had a good heart; this was obvious even in his young age. On that same terrible night when the Potters had died, Harry's life, like Sirius's, had changed forever. But Sirius knew, even if Harry was filled with sadness, he would find a way to overcome, even if it was just waiting, just getting by to see if tomorrow would be better. If the world threw anything at him, as Sirius was certain it would, Harry would just shake it off, and keep on standing  
  
Sirius was so relaxed now that he had come to this conclusion that he didn't even realize that for the first time, he was able to fall asleep without hearing the screams his fellow prisoners in the other cells.  
  
Just before he drifted off, he whispered something to Harry, willing him to hear his voice even thought they were miles and miles apart.  
  
"Well, Harry, it looks like you and me are in the same boat now. We just have to remember that, no matter what, we have to keep on standing. Because there's still a chance, however small it might be, that tomorrow will be brighter, and if we give up today we won't live to see it. So just keep on standing, HarryKeep on standing"  
  
~~~  
  
Millions of miles away, a baby named Harry Potter was crying in the box that was supposed to be a crib, and his aunt and uncle were merely ignoring his screams. Just as it seemed he would never stop, a gentle breeze blew through the room even though no window in the house was open. Harry was calmed by this, as though it was a warm breath of hope, and he lie back down on his blankets and fell asleep.  
  
The End  
  
  
Please read and review! Thanks a bunch of banannas for reading it!  
  



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